One of the canniest ex-players of the rugby league world is Matty Johns. His company JOHNS MEDIA and the three podcasts under that umbrella, have signed an exclusive new commercial partnership with NOVA Entertainment. The Matty Johns Podcast, regularly in the Triton Australian Podcast Ranker top 100 during the NRL season, was already a part of News Corp and thus had its sales representation with Nova Podcasts. The switch for Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns, Cooper is Matty’s son, is worth delving a little deeper into.
There’s one more podcast in the Johns’ suite which is The Johns Family Podcast. It is recorded in the family home studios and features the whole Johns clan (sans Matty’s brother Andrew I should mention); Matty, his wife Trish, and sons Jack and of course Cooper. No topic is off-limits with conversations going from pop culture to sports with many tangents in between. I got my home renovated about seven years ago, pre Covid, and I remember hearing the builder giggling away. He was your stereotypical tradesman, in his 50s, weathered skin and hands. He listened to anything Matty and his family released, because they reminded him of his own family and the conversation transcended what footy team you backed.
Off the back of years of media preparation via his dad, and a brief foray into rugby league himself, Cooper scored a gig as part of ARN’s Kyle and Jackie O Breakfast show. He’s great fun and a valuable contribution to any NRL conversations the show might want to have.
Backstage with Cooper and Matty Johns launched around the start of the 2024 NRL season with candid chats and big-name guests including Jackie O (listen below). In July ARN iHeart signed it to join its podcast stables. In September it reached its highest podcast ranking of #60. By the end of the year it had dropped out of the top 200, which is to be expected in the off season. But the Johns family are building a brand that transcends football, and this exclusive deal with Nova is testament to that.
This will be interesting as for ARN and KIIS as I imagine subtle or obvious name drops of upcoming guests of the podcast by Cooper will now be discouraged.
Of the new agreement Matty Johns said:
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Nova Podcasts. We love making the podcasts and working with my family adds an extra special element to the experience. Those existing relationships allow for greater insights and flexibility. Our reach and commitment to quality opens up endless opportunities for us to connect even more with our audience and work with a fantastic array of brands. Whether we’re sharing our passion for sport or inviting listeners into our family conversations, this partnership allows us to grow our community in a way that’s both authentic and exciting.”
Nicole Bence, NOVA Entertainment’s Chief Commercial Officer, said:
“When you talk about significant talent, with a significant audience connection, it’s difficult to go past Matty Johns. He is already one of the most trusted & recognisable voices in sport, but the addition of Trish, Jack and Cooper creates a whole new dynamic, and importantly, introduces us to a different side of Matty. They all deeply understand their respective audiences, and how to bring brands into the conversation in an authentic and memorable way, which is what made this partnership such a natural fit for us.”
This is another big announcement toward the expansion of the Nova Podcast network after they last week renewed an arrangement with Fear & Greed and formed a new partnership with Schwartz Media.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. Email: [email protected]